Power Protection Facts

What kind of power events damage office equipment?

Most copier service agreements do not cover damage caused by these types of power events

Disruptive Noise

Unwanted voltage/currents on the line

Is often created by other equipment, within the same building (elevators, machinery, soda machines, other nearby equipment, etc.)

“Studies show that up to 80% of most…power quality problems are caused by disturbances created inside of a facility or business.”

– Arizona Power website (www.aps.com)

What problems will surges and noise cause?

Unnecessary machine downtime and performance problems

Unreliable equipment

End User Frustration

Component degradation

Premature equipment failure

Copy quality problems, misfeeds, & paper jams

Lost print files and network slowdowns

Logic lockups and phantom error codes

Expensive board and equipment damage

High Unexpected Costs (insurance claims, overtime, damage not covered by typical service contracts)

“A momentary disturbance can cause scrambled data, interrupted communications, a frozen mouse, system crashes and equipment failure. A power voltage spike can damage valuable components. Power quality issues can cause business problems….”

– Arizona Power website (www.aps.com)

How do these problems impact you?

Wasted time handling complaints and other administrative issues due to equipment problems

End-users less productive due to equipment downtime

End-user stress and frustration

Managers and supervisors become dissatisfied and frustrated

Additional, unnecessary costs for you and your customer

“Up to 40% of business downtime is related to power quality problems.”

– Electric Light and Power Magazine

Why is it important to utilize power protection?

Copiers and other office technology run better

Copiers and other office technology last longer

End users are happier and less frustrated

Eliminate complaints & gain customers for life

Optimize copier and printer performance

Reduce power related service calls

Expand and upgrade service contracts to include coverage for power related catastrophic events

Green Advantage: help end-users reduce paper and toner waste

Peace of Mind

“Since the power filter has been put into place, we have not made one service call on [the] machine. The productivity increase alone has paid for the unit many times over in just this month! We are now using filters on all of our new digital engines.”

– John R. Phipps, Cal State San Bernardino

“I conducted a study that shows a 41% reduction in nuisance service problems and significant improvement in machine performance as a result of using adequate power protection on our copiers.”

– Robert Lane, Arizona State University

The Truth About Power Protection

MYTH

TRUTH

Office equipment comes with adequate internal power protection, so there is no need for an external power protection device.” FALSE!

The switch-mode power supplies in copiers and office equipment do not protect against common mode noise and offer nominal protection against surges. Office equipment alone falls well short of the IEEE standards and the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding surge protection.

“A dedicated line (outlet) will prevent power problems from occurring.” FALSE!

Dedicated lines only ensure that sufficient power is provided to your equipment. It does not prevent against destructive surges and disruptive noise that causes equipment problems. Furthermore, if your customer installed a dedicated line, it is extremely unlikely the dedicated line was installed an isolated ground. Without an isolated ground this line is not immune to noise disruptions and will not prevent against harmful surges.

“Office equipment in new buildings is not susceptible to power problems.” FALSE!

The majority of power problems are created internally – within a facility – by improper wiring, overloaded circuits, and other equipment being used in the building. “Studies show that up to 80% of most…power quality problems are caused by disturbances created inside of a facility or business.” Arizona Power (www.aps.com)

“The Cat5e network standard is not a recognized or credible standard for network connectivity and protection.” FALSE!

Cat5e TIA/EAI 568-B.2 Standard is the official standard and minimum requirement for network hardware. Power protection connections and cables, not Cat5e certified can cause network problems.

“Network and fax lines are not susceptible to power disruptions.” FALSE!

Network and fax lines can carry harmful surges directly into equipment that is not properly protected. “We see far more damage due to power surges on the data (phone & network) circuits than on the AC circuits.” John Meyer, Hytec Tech Mgr

“DSL and fax lines are not susceptible to noise.” FALSE!

Fax lines can be adversely affected by DSL signals transmitted over the phone lines. Voice signals are carried in the 0 to 4 kHz band, while DSL signals are carried at higher frequencies on the same transmission line. Interference and noise from the DSL signal can disrupt fax transmissions unless a proper filter is installed.

“Off the shelf power strips and other commonly used surge protectors are sufficient to protect our equipment. We don’t need anything extra.” FALSE!

Most power strip type surge suppressors offer limited protection, and most are little more than a multi-outlet extension cord

“High-frequency voltage can be measured at the wall outlet using a meter or Sure Test device.” FALSE!

It is impossible to measure high-frequency voltage without sophisticated high-frequency laboratory equipment.